Golden Knights vs Wild Game 1: Lines, Notes, & How to Watch

The Vegas Golden Knights begin their quest for the Stanley Cup on Sunday. The second-seed Golden Knights will host the seventh-seed Minnesota Wild at T-Mobile Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.

The Golden Knights swept the regular season series against the Wild, outscoring them 12-4. But that doesn’t matter. Not anymore. After 82 regular season games, it’s time for the real thing. It’s time for playoff hockey.

Jack Eichel had three goals and five points in two games against the Wild this season. Mark Stone provided five assists in three games; Pavel Dorofeyev recorded four points (2-2-4) in three games.

Kirill Kaprizov played just one game against the Golden Knights this season and scored two goals. Mats Zuccarello recorded three assists across the three regular season games.

Adin Hill starts in net. He has a record of 12-6-0 and an average save percentage of .932 in 19 career postseason games. Hill started two games against the Wild this season and recorded a .950 save percentage.

Filip Gustavsson gets the starting nod for the Wild. He has a record of 2-3-0 and an average save percentage of .921 in five career postseason games. Gustavsson recorded an average save percentage of .925 in two games against the Golden Knights this season.  

Golden Knights Lines

Ivan Barbashev-Jack Eichel-Mark Stone
Brandon Saad-Tomáš Hertl-Pavel Dorofeyev
Victor Olofsson-William Karlsson-Reilly Smith
Brett Howden-Nic Roy-Keegan Kolesar

Defense

Brayden McNabb-Shea Theodore
Nic Hague-Alex Pietrangelo
Noah Hanifin-Zach Whitecloud

Goaltender: Adin Hill

Wild Lines

Kirill Kaprizov-Joel Eriksson Ek-Matt Boldy
Marcus Johansson-Frederick Gaudreau-Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Foligno-Marco Rossi-Gustav Nyquist
Yakov Trenin-Ryan Hartman-Justin Brazeau

Defense

Jonas Brodin-Brock Faber
Jacob Middleton-Jared Spurgeon
Zeev Buium-Zach Bogosian

Goaltender: Filip Gustavsson

Golden Knights Game Notes

This is the second postseason meeting between the Golden Knights and the Wild; the teams clashed in 2021. The Golden Knights won in seven games and outscored the Wild 20-13.

The Golden Knights’ power play was red-hot during the regular season. It fired at a 28.3% success rate and finished the year ranked second in the league. Their penalty kill was less impressive, at 20th in the league with a 75.7% success rate; however, it has visibly improved since reacquiring Reilly Smith.

The Wild’s power play struggled after losing star winger Kirill Kaprizov to injury. They finished the year 20th in the league with a 20.9% success rate. Their penalty kill wasn’t any better; it had a 72.4% success rate and was 30th in the league.

Mark Stone has four goals and one assist in seven career postseason games against the Wild. 

Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek both scored two goals and recorded an assist in seven career postseason games against Vegas.

Wild top-prospect Zeev Buium is scheduled to make his NHL debut on Sunday. He’ll slot in on the third pairing and quarterback the top power play unit.

The Golden Knights’ Game 1 record is 10-6 over their eight-year history, while the Wild’s is 4-12.

How to Watch

Local TV: Vegas 34
National TV: ESPN
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340